RIP Nujabes.

This man in the picture is Jun Seba, more commonly known as Nujabes. He was a man of inspiration to a whole lot of people in this world. Not by actions, words, or anything else. He's inspired various people through his musical productions. Although not much is or was ever known about him, he was still able to accomplish great things, whether he knew it or not. And I hope he did. To me, he's the definition of a true artist. Making music for the people and only for the people. There's a reason why not much is known about him, and that reason is because he chose to stay out of the lime light and continue to produce music. He avoided interviews in general, so only a rare and lucky few really got to know the man behind the beats. Whoever these lucky few were, I surely envy.

Personally, and I'm sure along with many others, his music left an impact in my life. Its definitely a shame to me that I've only heard of him recently. Its amazing how in the short amount of time I listened to his music, it would give me some sort of inspiration. His music always had something for my moods. If I felt like relaxing and chilling, I could always play a Nujabes song and do it with ease. If I felt like I needed motivation, it's the same thing all over again. The complex and unique beats he made is best described as an arrow going through the minds of many and dropping a positive feeling. All who have been touched by his music will surely continue to mourn his loss one way or another. As I'm typing this, I'm re-listening his albums to rediscover the man that started it all for me.

It's a shame a person like him could be gone so fast. He died in late February, but I'm only hearing of this news this week. When I heard it, I was definitely devastated and went into a shock. I couldn't register the fact that he died; it was just too hard to take in. He died in a fatal car accident in Japan, which is where he lived. Despite the rescue efforts, they still could not save him. That day was an end of a legacy. He leaves behind him a very strong fanbase who have been touched by his music in one way, fellow producers, MCs that worked with him, his label Hydeout Productions, and most importantly his family. Wherever he is, I hope he takes his talent with him and continue to inspire. I could only compare him to a similar figure in the world of music. J Dilla.

Thank you Nujabes, for helping me find myself and the inspiration you gave me.

You can find statements of how his music affected people on his MySpace, Last.fm, or this website, written by MC Shing02, who I could imagine was a good friend of Nujabes. And here are some examples.

"RIP Jun Seba, you will forever be remembered by me and many others, your music is made life seem more relaxing and peaceful. Hard to explain, but your music was the best thing i came across. thats all i can say for now. Peace world."

"Your music lifts my soul and makes me peaceful, and it'll always be apart of my life. R.I.P and we'll miss you"

"I may have never met you, but your music has added color to my world and has enlightened my perspective. May your soul rest in peace."

"thank you for giving me a dream. rest in beats"

"Thank you so very much for touching my soul...I truly believe you have contributed in many of my positive movement. Through your music I found happiness. My heart sings to your soul...Forever grateful.

R.I.P."

"~Seba Jun, i don't believe it is possible to know how big of an impact your music has had on me. You are one of the select few whose music let me know that Hip Hop is not dead but very much alive. Your influence and who you are as an artist will live on forever. Inspiration, therapy, relaxing, calming, hype, and a completely different level of music. This is not a goodbye. R.I.P Nujabes~ "